Back Together AgainSort Of
by jmstevens
Summary: A fiction based on season six's "Like a Virgin." The boys' last case with Kassandra before she goes to Portland.
1. Sam's AwakeBack to Work

Summary: A fiction based on season six's "Like a Virgin." The boys' last case with Kassandra before she goes to Portland.

Nope. She didn't want anything to do with Death or his deals. But when she heard Sam's screams of pain coming from the panic room, she left her computer screen mid-word and raced down the aging staircase .

Dean caught her by the arm before she could go in. "Don't..." he pleaded.

Kassandra wasn't struggling anymore but she kept her eye on what was happening.  
It never occurred to her to ask how or why an IV line was in Bobby's house, but it was hooked up by the time Castiel showed up.

She sat next to Sam, stroking his hair while Castiel examined him, and remained by his side when Castiel exited the panic room to talk to Dean. He was still rolling down his sleeves,

"Well?" Dean stopped pacing when he saw his friend.

"His soul is in place."

"Is he ever gonna wake up?"

"I'm not a human doctor, Dean."

Kassandra looked down at Sam's still form. "Hear that, Sam? You need to wake up."

"Could you take a guess?"

"Okay. Probably not."

 _'Sheez..don't sugar-coat it or anything."_

"Oh...well, don't sugar-coat it," Dean said almost simultaneously.

" I'm sorry, Dean, but I warned you not to put that thing back inside him."

Kassandra wiped away a stray tear that had managed to trickle down her cheek.

"What was I supposed to do? Let T-1009 walk around and hope he doesn't open fire?"

"Let me tell you what his soul felt like when I touched it. Like it had been skinned alive.  
Dean, if you wanted to kill your brother, you should have done it outright."

Kassandra waited until Castiel left but fore she emerged from the panic room, finding Bobby and Dean with a half full bottle of whiskey between them.

"Sam still asleep?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah."

To the two men's surprise, she asked for a glass .

"Yeah, well...today we're making an exception."

The three sat in amiable silence for a minute as Bobby poured and then the three took a drink from their glasses.

"He'll wake up"

"Yeah," Kassandra smiled around her glass.

"Yeah."

"He's been through how much? Somehow, he always manages to bounce back."

"He's never been through this."

Before Kassandra could add anything more, Dean spotted the newspaper Bobby was looking at.

"Job?"

"Might be."

Bobby pushed the newspaper closer to Dean and Kassandra. It was from the Portland Chronicle. The headline read "Small Plane Crash Kills Two"

"Can I help? Send me to the library? Anything?"

She couldn't blame Dean for wanting a distraction. She was feeling like she could use a distraction.

"Couple goes up in a light plane. Wreckage was just found in the woods."

" Couple of Buddy Hollys? Doesn't really seem like News of the Weird."

" I'm with Dean. Doesn't sound that strange."

"Pilot was found seventeen mikes away, flambéed. Girl's just gone. No body, nothing."  
Bobby had a look of 'Well, what do you think of that?'

"Okay. I'm not changing the channel."

" Dean."

'Oh my God. Sam..'

Dean almost dropped his glass. Kassandra was mid-sip and fumbled to avoid dropping hers. Both turned in their chairs.

"Sam?"

Sam hugged Dean and then Bobby. "Good to see you." Bobby glanced at Dean

"Wait..I saw you - I felt Lucifer snap you neck."

"Well, Cas kind of..."

This was news to Sam. His eyes widened, Kassandra noticed.

" Cas is alive?"

"Yeah, Sam...Cas is fine. Are you OK?"

"Kassandra?"

"Hey, Sam." She gave him a warm hug, hearing his growling stomach. A laugh.

"Sounds like a growling bear in there."

"Guess I need food."

"I'll be back." Kassandra kissed Sam's cheek and headed for the kitchen.


	2. What's Going On?

p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; color: #2a2a2a; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"Summary: Now that Sam is awake, Bobby and Dean want to know if Sam realizes there's a wall around his memory. Unknown to the boys, Kassandra has other plans in the making./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;"Sandwiches were made for everyone and beer bottles were served instead of more whiskey. While they talking about what Sam remembered, Kassandra got a text message on her phone. She slipped away, but not before apologizing./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""So Sam.."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""What's the last thing you remember?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""The field. And then I fell."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Okay. And then?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""I woke up in the panic room."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""That's it? You really don't remember— " Bobby started./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Let's be glad. Who wants to remember all that hell?" Dean looked meaningfully at Bobby and Kassandra, who looked up from her computer screen./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Well, how long was I gone?" Sam looked between the three of them. He was just about to take another bite, but now the sandwich rested on his plate again./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""About a year and a half."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""What? I was downstairs f—I don't remember anything. So how'd I get back? Was it Cas?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;"Kassandra bit her tongue, looking away. She still wasn't too happy about having to deal with Death./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Not exactly."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Dean, what did you do?" It was clear Sam was thinking another deal had been struck./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Me and Death—"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Death? The Horseman?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""I had leverage. It's done."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""You're sure?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""It's over. Slate's wiped."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Well, isn't that just neat and clean?" Bobby said with an edge of sarcasm./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Yes, it is—for once."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Is there anything I should know?" Bobby's tone hadn't escaped Sam's notice. He still suspected there was something else going on. Something that they weren't telling him. Even Kassandra seemed to be avoiding him./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;"Bobby finally had to leave the room and the conversation. Dean asked Sam if he wanted another beer and Sam looked over at Kassandra, who seemed to be typing on her phone. When she looked up, she realized that she and Sam were alone./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh... where'd everyone go?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""I think Bobby went outside. Dean went for beer."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Ah." A pause. "Hey...Kass?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Hm?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Is Dean really okay?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""You don't think he is? Of course, you don't. You wouldn't be asking otherwise." She tried a smile./spanspan style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode',sans-serif; color: #2a2a2a;"br / /spanspan style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Everyone's fine, Sam. I promise."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;"Dean brought the two beers at that moment. "Here, Sammy."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Did you guys want anything else? Are you still hungry?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""You're actually offering to cook?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Not if you're going to take that tone.."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;"She was rewarded with a laugh from Sam and a grin from Dean./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""I can help myself. Thanks, though."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;"Kassandra was just putting her hand on the screen door to go join Bobby when Sam asked, "Hey, I never did ask you what you've been up to.."/span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;"A flicker of pain came over her face, but was gone just as quickly./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""I'll tell you about it later.," she finally said and then left./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;""Did I say something wrong?" Sam asked Dean./span/p  
p style="margin: 15.45pt 0cm; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11.0pt; color: #2a2a2a;"Dean didn't respond. He just took a drink from his bottle./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p 


	3. On the Job

Summary: Sam and Dean, along with Kassandra, head off to Portland to investigate Penny's disappearance.

A half hour later, Kassandra was watching Dean close the trunk of the Impala and throw his jacket into the driver seat.

"Sam still asleep?" Bobby asked.

 _'Yeah, he seems to be sleeping a lot now that he's hum... got his soul back'_

"Yeah. Let him rest. We'll call him later."

"Call me from where?" No one had seen Sam come out.

"Oh,uh...there's there's this thing in Oregon," said Dean.

"Great. I'm in," said Sam.

"Whoa...whoa...you just got vertical." Dean's big brother mode kicked in.

"Exactly. I'm up. I'm good."

"Well, a few more days of crap cable couldn't hurt."

"Right. Because that's what you did when you got back from hell."

Dean had to admit that Sam had a point about that one. His facial expression reflected this.

"Alright then, You, me, and Bobby."

"Oh you three go on ahead. You got this covered, I, uh, forgot I promised that idjit Rufus I'd work the phones for him, so..,

"Whattya think, Kass?"

"Sounds good to me if Bobby's sure."

"Yeah, yeah...you enjoy catching up, okay?"

"What was that?" Sam watched Bobby go.

"One part age, three parts liquor." Dean didn't fully understand either.

"Give me a few to pack my stuff?" Kassandra asked.

"Sure."

"Yeah. No problem."

Kassandra ran up to the room that she had been staying in- actually it was more like a pull out sofa with a black and white TV, but it had been serving its purpose the last couple of days - and quickly repacked her toothbrush, pjs and a couple of laundered t-shirts.

"That was fast," Dean remarked.

" Practice." She opened the back seat of the Impala , knowing that Dean would want his little brier in his customary passenger seat. As they were pulling away, they passed by Bobby , who was tinkering on one of the junker cars in the years. He waved his wrench as they went by.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Uh, you got it officer. Thank you. You two."

Sam hung up his phone, and Kassandra was amazed yet again that he still managed to have a conversation despite the volume of the radio.

"So what did he say?"

"Get this- besides the crash, there were two other disappearances in town this week."

"Really?"

" Yeah, last weekend, a college girl vanished from her apartment. On the seventeenth floor. Then three days ago, another girl didn't make it home from school."

"They know each other?"

"No. No connection. Just young and female, like the plane crash girl."

"What would disappear a girl out of the sky, anyway?"

" Good question."

" Maybe we should be calling Mulder and Scully," Kasandra interjected wryly.

They drove in silence for a moment before Sam said, "So you never tried, huh?"

"Tried?"

"Tried what?"

" To live a life..after. You do remember you promised that, right?"

Obviously, Sam was talking to Dean, she realized.

"Yeah, I remember."

" So, why didn't you try?"

"What makes you think I didn't ?"

"'Cause look at you. Look at this. You're exactly the same."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Kassandra could sense Dean's sadness as the brothers fell silent.

" I was with them for a year- Lisa and Ben. "

"A year?"

Dean nodded.

"So then what?"

"Didn't work out."

Dean turned up the volume on the radio as Kassandra touched his shoulder.

"So do we have a next of kin for Penny Dessertine?" She finally asked Sam as they passes a sign that said 'Portland 20'.

"A sister. We got the address."

"Did you need me to come with?" She looked between the two brothers. "Or ...should I just wait at the hotel room and do more research?"

" You're always welcome to come...you know that."

Actually she had to be reminded of that, but she still smiled back at Sam. "Guess I better pull out my suit,"

They found a small motel outside Portland city limits,and then after donning their FBI suits, were off to Penny's sister's..but not before Kassandra straightened Sam's tie. "Your tie's a little crooked."

She gave it a small pat when she was done, her hand lingering for a moment as she looked into Sam's brown eyes. She found herself wondering if he would ever remember them...

"Kass?"

"Sorry..." she backed off. "We ready?"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sam and Dean flashed their badges and introduced themselves as Agent Sutton and Agent Duffy. Kassandra used her own name, not seeing the need to give a different one.

"So,uh, you're Penny's sister, right?" This from Dean.

'Mm-hm.." said the other woman.

" Julie? Is that your name?" Kassandra verified.

" That's right. Julie with an 'e'."

 _'Is there another way to spell it?'_

"We'd like to ask you some questions," Sam interjected.

At first Julie was resistant. "Look, the cops already came by. I'm tired. So if you don't mind.."

"We understand that." Kassandra smiled at her.

"We'd just like to figure out what happened," Sam added.

Julie relented and ushered the three of them into her living room.

"So why don't you tell us about your sister?" Kassandra said kindly.

"Penny was very shy. She kept to herself . Not at all what you'd call adventurous."

"You mean...like flying through a storm in a two-seater," said Dean

"She was terrified of that thing. She just did it for Stan."

"Penny's boyfriend?" Kassandra asked before either Dean or Sam could

Julie nodded. "They were just starting to get serious. She didn't want to seem, you know..not interested." She was trying not to cry. "I just wish I'd told her to stay home. We don't even have a body to bury."

"Is there anything we can do? Anyone we can call? " Kassandra asked, but Julie only burst into tears, causing a momentary awkward silence.

It was Sam who finally said "Thank you for your time."


	4. Did Somebody Say Virgins?

Summary: As the trio investigate further, they start to discover there is a connection.

It was Kassandra who went out for food while Sam was looking at other girls' files and making the connection.  
Dean, like always, was hungry for loaded cheeseburger; "So what are my boys up to?" Kassandra took a seat near Sam, seeing that his laptop was open.

"Uh, well, it looks like those other two missing girls both baked cookies for the Lord..."

Dean didn't get it. "Is that code?"

Kassandra had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She loved Dean to death, but sometimes….

"No. Church choir, bake sales, promise ring clubs—the works. They were good girls. But Penny wasn't a Christian, so-."

"I have another theory— "Dean and Kassandra said in unison.

Kassandra motioned for Dean to go first. "I insist."

"I have another theory," Dean repeated a second time. "Penny's diary."

 _'_ _Wha? When did he get that?'_

"Did you steal that from her room?" Sam asked point-blank.

"I love that you even ask me that."

"Why wouldn't I?"

Kassandra almost choked on her root beer when she heard Sam utter these words. When the boys looked questioningly at her, she waved them off, even though her voice was still a little weak from coughing. She was still looking at Dean, wondering how long it was going to be until he slipped, or someone else slipped, or she slipped.

"No reason..." Dean said with a poker face, and rapidly shifting the conversation back to the missing girls.

"So the girl-nappings, what if it's not about religion, what if it's about purity?"

"You mean you think they're virgins," said Kassandra.

"Penny was twenty-two," Sam interjected.

"With a pink room," said Dean

"So? I like pink." This from Kassandra

"And stuffed teddy bears."

"I got a whole bunch of teddy bears. What's your point?" Kassandra was getting slightly annoyed at their unspoken assumption that virginity had to be lost at a specific age. She made the boys squirm. Sam cleared his throat.

"Fine…But you really think.."

Dean held up one finger. "I've decided I'm going to give Stan my most precious gift."

"Wow. That sounded really creepy coming out of your mouth," said Sam.

Dean smirked. "I think I delivered it."

"You know, you-you could have led with 'the diary'. You know? Anyways, let's say you're right. Who would want virgins?"

Kassandra had to admit that was a good question.

"You got me. I prefer ladies with experience."

"Classy, Dean.."

"What?"

Sam and Kassandra exchanged glances.

It was, strangely enough, Kassandra's cellphone that rang, alerting her to another attack.

"We got another one, guys."


	5. Who Wants Virgins Anyway?

Summary: Dean, Sam, and Kassandra interview the latest victim and make what could be an important connection.

Sam opened the door for her so she walked slightly ahead of the boys, so she saw the Portland police detective talking on his phone first. They got there just in time to hear him say, "As far as I can tell, she's wasting our time. I don't think there's anything here. I'm coming back in."

Dean waited until he was off the phone before giving him a half-smile and showing him his badge. "Hey, how you doin'. Did you just interview a girl who was brought in ?"

The police detective snorted. "Yeah. That girl is a piece of work, saying that a giant bat like creature jumped her."

"Did you look at her injuries, Detective...?"

"Green. She didn't show me and I didn't ask.."

"Terrific. I think we'll talk to her anyway, so if you'll excuse us."

"What does the FBI want with someone who filed false police report?"

It was Sam who stepped in before Dean could make a sarcastic comment. "We like to do our own investigations, Detective. 'Scuse us." Kassandra got a hand on the small of her back, which made her stiffen for a moment at first made her stiffen, but as they made their way to the nurses' station, she was beginning to relax again. Sam knew it wasn't the time to ask questions, but he had to get to the bottom of why she and Dean and Bobby were all acting weird.

Sam and Dean showed their badges to the young woman and introduced themselves as Agent Tyler and Agent Perry. Kassandra introduced herself as Agent Merren.

"What's your name?" Sam asked her.

"Melissa. Melissa Barry."

Melissa seemed to take comfort in Kassandra being there..there was something calming about her.

"Can you tell us what happened?" said Dean.

"It happened so fast." Melissa hugged a pillow to her.

"It's alright, Melissa. What came at you? You can tell us," Sam said kindly. Kassandra smiled encouragingly.

"It- It looked like a giant bat." Melissa looked at her audience, almost crying again, getting more scared and upset again, prompting Kassandra to gently take Melissa's hand in hers. "You don't believe me, do you? You think I'm making it up. That's what the other man said."

 _'Other man? Right. Detective Moron.'_

"Well, I'm not the other man." Sam still spoke in a soft, gentle tone which reassured Melissa enough to go on.

"It came right at me. It was huge. I swear. That's how I got this."

Kassandra helped her pull down her gown, so she got the first look. Dean up until this point had remained silent, though Kassandra fully expected him to speak up at least once , but he didn't. He seemed fine telling Sam to do the talking. At least for the moment.

"I don't know. I passed out, and when I woke up, it was gone." Melissa winced slightly as she slid her gown in place.

"Easy.." Kassandra helped her get a bit more comfortable.

"Is there anything else you can think of? Anything you can tell us, even if it doesn't seem important?" Sam asked.

"Well my ring got lost. Or else that thing stole it, if that makes any sense."

This was when Dean decided to finally speak up and say something.

"What kind of ring?"

"Gold. Promise ring."

"Promise ring. So, uh, from like a church? Like a purity ring?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Kassandra shot Dean a warning look.

"I got to ask.. , look nobody's judging anybody here, okay? Believe me. But.. should you really be wearing that ring?"

"Dean.." Kassandra interjected, seeing that Melissa was uncomfortable. Or maybe was it guilt? She started to apologize for Dean as she had a dozen times before.

"Trust me...it's okay.." Then Dean turned to Melissa, waiting.

"Well.I..I mean. I-I am." Melissa stammered.

"Really?"

Melissa suddenly blurted "Matt Barne didn't count!"

A nurse suddenly appeared in the door. "Everything okay in here? Are these people upsetting you?" She frowned in the direction of the three.

Trying to prevent a scene, Sam said, "We were just on our way out." He jerked his head at his brother in a 'Let's go' motion.

"Thank you for talking to us, Melissa," Kassandra said softly.


End file.
